Mike Brownfield is the Director of Communications for the Goldwater Institute, where he leads the development and execution of the Institute’s public relations and communications strategy. For more than ten years, Mike has used his skills as a communicator and training as an attorney to promote sound public policy based on the principles of liberty and limited government.
Prior to joining the Institute, Mike served his home state of Michigan as Deputy Director of Strategy and Director of Social Media for Governor Rick Snyder. During his tenure, Mike vastly expanded the governor’s use of digital communications and led rapid response on social media for events including the Detroit bankruptcy and the historic signing of right-to-work legislation. In addition, Mike was chief speechwriter of the governor’s State of the State addresses and developed policy recommendations for issues including criminal justice reform and the economy.
Previously, Mike served in Washington, D.C., as Editor in Chief of the Heritage Foundation’s public policy blog, where he authored hundreds of articles on issues including economic policy and national defense. In addition, he developed Heritage’s social media strategy, spreading the Foundation’s message to hundreds of thousands of Americans across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Mike began his career in public service working for his hometown congressman, both in his official office and as campaign manager in a nationally targeted race. Mike also managed a state legislative campaign, served in the state attorney general’s office, and has provided digital consulting for issue advocacy campaigns.
Mike is a licensed attorney who earned his J.D. at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and B.S. in journalism and political science at Northwestern University. He resides in Royal Oak, Michigan.
